Bon Secours Health System Appoints Marlon L. Priest, M.D., System Chief Medical Officer

Marriottsville, Maryland, October 12, 2006 -- Today, Bon Secours Health System (BSHSI) announced the appointment of Marlon L. Priest, M.D., as chief medical officer (CMO) for the nine-state system. Dr. Priest will assume his new responsibilities on December 4, 2006. As CMO, Dr. Priest's responsibilities include the oversight and achievement of the strategic goals related to aligning with premier practitioners and providing safe, compassionate and high quality care to all we serve. Dr. Priest will lead the development and achievement of System-wide clinical outcome indicators and care management improvement strategies and tactics. He will advise governance, management and clinical leadership at both the System and local system levels in the assessment and development of patient care programs and services that will serve the community needs effectively and efficiently.

Dr. Priest has more than 28 years of experience and most recently with the University of Alabama (UAB) at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, where he currently serves as a professor of emergency medicine and surgery, senior associate chief of staff and chief quality officer and medical director for national acclaimed critical care transport.

Dr. Priest has served as project director for the high school partnership program, Health Professions Partnership Initiative. He also served as principal investigator and project director for the Minority Medical Education Program, an initiative focused on increasing access to care through expanding academic preparation for college students from disadvantaged backgrounds seeking careers in the health professions.

During his career, Dr. Priest has served on a variety of national and community boards including the National Environmental Policy Commission, the Catholic Health Association, sisters of Charity of Nazareth Health System and the St. Joseph Health System as Chair of the Quality committee and a member of the Executive Committee.
Dr. Priest currently serves the Sisters of Mercy Health System in St. Louis as chair of the quality committee and a member of the executive community. He has been very involved in successfully introducing quality systems into health systems. He is well versed with information technology through his efforts serving on Catholic health systems boards of directors and the installation of a new ED clinical information system. He served a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded health policy fellowship in the Institute of Medicine and US Senate.

Dr. Priest received his undergraduate in chemistry from the University of North Alabama and his medical degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He was an honors graduate of both the college and medical school, and was elected to membership in AOA –Alpha Omega Alpha. Dr. Priest completed an Internal Medicine residency at UAB and Baptist Medical Centers. He also was a Scholar in Academic Administration and Health Policy with the Association of Academic Health Centers and had a PEW Fellowship with Association of American Medical Colleges, Executive Development. Dr. Priest is board certified in internal medicine and emergency medicine, holds internal medicine admitting privileges and is experienced in both inpatient and outpatient areas.

“Dr. Priest’s values and principles are consistent with our health system’s, and we are confident he will be a strong addition to our team,” stated Sister Anne M. Lutz, executive vice president for Sponsorship. She added, “Dr. Priest has significant experience working with communities in improving the community health status.”

Rich Statuto, BSHSI chief executive officer, stated, “Dr. Priest has a depth of experiences at the practitioner, board and management levels. The knowledge of quality improvement systems and physician integration he brings to BSHSI will significantly enhance the achievement of our strategic goals for clinical excellence and physician relationships.”

“I am very excited about becoming part of the Bon Secours organization,” stated Priest. “My own philosophies of care through service are very compatible with those of BSHSI. I look forward to becoming a contributing member of the leadership team and furthering the mission of the system.”

Bon Secours Health System, Inc. based in Marriottsville, Maryland, is a $2.2 billion dollar not-for-profit Catholic health system that owns, manages or joint ventures 20 acute care, 6 long term care, 6 assisted living and independent living and other facilities, primarily on the East Coast. Bon Secours Health System consists of more than 20,000 caregivers helping people in 12 communities in nine states. Its vision is to be recognized for its leadership in justice, transforming the communities in which it serves and works into places of health and hope, and being a prophetic voice for systemic U.S. health reform and a more humane world.